Wanted
by Robotownrules
Summary: A group of warriors called the Nomads struggle to free their city from an oppressive and corrupt police force known as The Patrol.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue-ish thing  
>December 18, 2020<br>People say that first impressions are everything. What a lot of people don't think about is that their first impression could be wrong. Impressions are just guesses, what we think another person is like. Yet so many people hold that impression as the truth. They couldn't be farther from the truth. Thinking back to that day, I was once one of those people. Things are different now that I know better. Friends may be enemies, and enemies may be friends. The people I was fighting against turned out to be the people I thought I was fighting for. Let's back up a bit. You'll need to hear the entire story first.

Chapter 1-First Encounter

A small, malnourished bear cub sat in front of a circular metal can, rummaging through its contents. He stood alone in a dark alley, surrounded on each side by a wall. Behind him, the wall of a building rose up. Currently, he was in the alcove used to store the building's trash. A narrow path stretched off in both directions. His matted green fur stuck up all over the place, and his slitted eyes darted around, searching for anyone who might catch him. A little ways off, shuffling footsteps resonated off of the pavement. The bear cub ducked behind the can, peering around the edge slightly to see who was approaching. A large gray and white eagle clad in the uniform of The Patrol, the oppressive police force of the town, walked slowly by, the beam from his flashlight drifting over the ground and the walls of the alley. The bear drew his knees in tighter, praying that the eagle wouldn't spot him. To be caught by The Patrol would mean that he would go to jail.

Suddenly, from behind the eagle came a loud explosion. The eagle spun around just as a laser beam cut through him. The eagle crumpled to the ground, his own laser pistol clattering on the cobblestone. A small creature darted over to the eagle's body, pawing at his clothing to check for anything worth stealing. Upon closer inspection, the cub could see that it was a gray and black striped cat. The cat had on a dark gray uniform, an array of weapons strapped to her body. The cub drew in a breath.

This cat was a member of the crime syndicate, Nomad. The name came from the fact that their syndicate rarely ever met together, and that their members were nomads that worked alone. The cub had heard rumors about them. They would meet with the leader once, receive their assigned city, and then steal anything they could gather. The Patrol, their worst enemy, sent out reports daily about the Nomads. The Patrol, while they could be oppressive, also served as protection against the Nomad. The only thing worse than getting caught by The Patrol was facing death at the hands of a Nomad.

Turning his attention back to the cat, the cub watched as it removed a slip of paper from the eagle's pocket. The cat skimmed the paper, then shoved it into a pouch on its belt. Just then, a lone pebble clattered to the ground. The cat whirled around, and the cub craned his neck to see what was there. It was a hooded figure dressed in a similar uniform, standing atop the roof of the building that made up one wall of the alley.

What's going on? I thought Nomads worked alone…the cub thought.

"Oh it's just you," The cat hissed, the voice sounding feminine.

"Just me? I'm here to save your butt. There's someone else here." A gruff voice responded from beneath the hood. The bear cub gulped, praying he wouldn't be found.

"What? Where?" The cat shrieked, trying to maintain a whisper.

"Over there," The hooded creature gestured towards the cub's hiding spot behind the trash can.

"Shoot! I didn't even think to check back there!" The cat's voice rose in panic. "Come help me check. What if it's another Patrol goon?"

With a sigh, the hooded Nomad leapt off of the rooftop, landing on both feet. A long gray-white snout protruded from the hood, two gleaming fangs poking out. The cub whimpered a little, nervous of his fate. The hooded one raised a foot and kicked the can over, revealing the cubs hiding spot. The cub held his hands over his body¸ preparing himself.

"Pah! Just a street urchin. Nothin' to worry about." The guy growled. Up close, the cub could now see that he was a wolf.

"But he saw my face!" The cat wailed.

"Who cares? You won't say anything to anyone, right?" The wolf leaned in towards the cub's face, his mouth turned up in a snarl.

"Uhh..N-no. I w-won't," The cub stammered.

"Good boy. See, we've got nothing to worry about Lolly. You're always being paranoid," The wolf chuckled.

"Let's just get out of here before we get-"

"FREEZE. Put your hands in the air and turn around slowly." A voice from behind them growled.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2-Face Off

The pair of Nomads slowly turned around to face their attackers. The cub craned his neck to see who was there. Five Patrol members stood with their guns trained on the two Nomads. A blue-maned lion stood at the front, the one who had spoken earlier. He was flanked on the left side by a green alligator and a black dog, and on the right were a tan cow and a black mustached gorilla.

"Drop your weapons now," The lion ordered. The two obeyed, slowly putting down their weapons. The wolf dropped one at his feet, and slowly slid it towards the cub with one foot, managing to be discreet. The cub grasped the handle of the gun, unsure of how to use it.

"Remove your hood sir," The gorilla barked, and the wolf slowly pulled down his hood.

Out of the corner of his eye, the cub saw a gray shadow moving down the left alleyway, out of sight of the two Nomads. He could just make out the dark blue Patrol uniform on him. He was almost upon them when the cub reacted.

Without thinking, the cub grabbed a second gun, instinct taking over. He realized that if he shot the newcomer, the guards would react and he would have to quickly hand a weapon to the wolf. The cub raised his gun, trying to steady his hands as he took aim at the shadowy figure moving towards the two Nomads. He paused on the trigger, bracing himself. With a flash, a laser beam shot through the air, zipping through the Patrol henchman behind the Nomads. A cry went up and the cub quickly tossed the wolf the second gun. With a swift motion, the wolf caught the gun, his eyes widened in surprise. He'd had no idea there was a man behind them.

The guards jumped into action, firing their own guns. The cub tossed his gun to the cat, who caught it and began firing at the men. The cub then grabbed another pistol off of the floor and slinked closer to the wall. Taking aim, he fired a beam at the lion, clearly the man in charge of this group. The lion grunted and collapsed.

"DANG IT! Aziz is down! RETREAT RETREAT!" The black dog growled. The four remaining Patrol men broke into a run and headed back the way they came. Once they were gone, the two Nomads sighed in relief.

"Nice shot man!" The wolf complimented, his eyes displaying his approval. "How'd you learn to do that?"

"I-I don't know. Beginner's luck, I guess," The cub shrugged.

"Hmm…Well you're a natural. Why don't you keep it?" The wolf offered, nudging the gun with his foot.

"Keep it? You're sure?" The cub asked.

"Yeah! We've got plenty!" The wolf replied.

"Aren't you guys a crime syndicate?" The cub inquired. The wolf laughed and the cat cracked a smile.

"Can you believe that Lolly? Those guys will do anything to save their own hides," The wolf stifled another laugh.

"That's what they want you to believe." The cat, presumably Lolly, replied. "We're actually a resistance force. The Patrol is trying to take over the government. They're the bad guys."

"Oh. I never knew…" The cub began to ponder this, resting his paw on his chin.

"Well I guess we'll see you around. What's your name?" Lolly asked.

"I'm Murphy," the cub replied, while turning the gun over and over between his paws. The wolf nodded, and turned to head down the alley. Lolly followed suit and they began trotting back the way they had come.

"Alright, catch you later!" The wolf called over his shoulder, already disappearing into the darkness of the alley.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3-Close Call

Atop the roof of a crumbling building, a black alligator sat watching the alley beneath him. A small creature lay huddled in a ball, a stiff square cloth wrapped around him like a blanket. Its clothes were in tatters and it appeared to have no one around it.

[i]Perfect[/i], the alligator thought.[i] He's alone. No one will miss him.[/i] The alligator made no noise as he crept toward the end of the roof, jumping down to the cracked pavement below. He sidled along the edge of the wall, peering around the corner to see the creature. He could see now that it was a green bear cub, with matted fur and barely any meat on its bones.

The alligator slid forward a bit more, preparing to strike. Suddenly, the bear jolted upwards, a laser pistol trained at the gator. The alligator's eyes widened in surprise and he backed up, his hands in the air.

"Yo man, sorry. I didn't know you had a gun," He started, not wanting to anger the bear.

"So basically you're saying if you had known, you wouldn't have tried to eat me?" The bear asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I-I guess so. Look, let's forget about this little incident, kay?" The alligator looked around, searching for some sort of weapon.

"I don't think I can. What's your name?"

"D-Del. Now put the gun down man," Del pleaded.

"Fine, I'll let you off easy this time," The bear replied, lowering the gun. "But don't you EVER try to eat me again."

"Sure thing man, never again. Now then, what do you say to helping me find some real food?"

"Well, I am quite famished," The bear remarked, rubbing his thin belly. He eyed the alligator suspiciously. "So long as you don't pull any stunts."

"Scout's honor," Del replied, placing his hand across his chest.

"I don't see the harm in going," The bear concluded, tucking his gun at his side.

"Then what are ya waitin' for let's go!" Del reached for the bear's arm, pulling him to his feet. "What's yer name?"

"Murphy. Now, what exactly did you have in mind?"

"There's a square up the way with lotsa food stands. Only them richie 'trols shop there though." Del smirked.

"Trolls? What? Those are mythical creatures," Murphy responded, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"Nah man, I'm talkin' bout The Patrol. Us street folk, we call 'em 'trols. It's our little inside joke," Del chuckled.

"Oh I get it. Clever!" Murphy grinned, the first time he could remember in ages when he was actually having fun.

"So, what say you? Shall we go mug 'em? Now that I've got a man with a gun on my side, should be a piece o' cake. Come on let's go you slow poke!" Del exclaimed, dragging Murphy out of the alley. He led him around the corner of the building, through a tiny, abandoned business district. The dark clouds and smog overhead made the large steel buildings look even gloomier than they were. Sirens went off in the distance, and animals patrolled the streets looking for criminals or suspicious people.

After passing through the dark area, they came to a small square dotted with carts selling food. A heavyset raccoon manned the nearest one, and he was busy sorting a stack of bells on the counter. Del gestured toward that cart with a nod. Murphy gave a stiff nod as well, signaling that he understood the plan. Murphy approached the stand from the front side, trying to get the vendor's attention. Behind the vendor, Del searched the area for any Patrol men. He didn't see any at the moment, but they'd be flocking any minute now. He inched towards the stand, waiting for Murphy to make his move.

Murphy hit his paw against the surface of the cart, startling the raccoon. He fixed Murphy with an angry look, wondering how anyone would dare interrupt his bell counting. After sizing up what appeared to be a street kid, he returned to counting.

"Give me your food," Murphy growled in the deepest voice he could muster. The raccoon cracked a smile, looking skeptically at the cub.

"You serious? What are you, a tiny little street punk, going to do to me?" The raccoon could barely contain his laughter.

"This," Murphy replied, pulling his laser from the holster that Lolly had given him. The raccoon's eyes widened in fear and he began to frantically stack food onto the counter.

"Look I-I'm sorry I didn't l-listen to you earlier," The raccoon stammered.

"You better be," came a deep voice from behind the raccoon. The raccoon jumped, whirling around to see who was behind him. A large black alligator loomed over him, and he backed completely away from the stand, frightened.

"ACK! P-Please, just don't take my stand! I need it!" The raccoon shrieked. "Or my bells!" Del reached his paw up to the counter and swiped a handful of bells, shoving them into the ratty backpack slung over his shoulder. He moved around the front, stuffing the food in as well.

"I think we're done here, don't you?" Del asked Murphy.

"I think so. Let's jet because here come the 'trols!" Murphy pointed over his shoulder toward the green chicken and the fat dog in blue uniforms running towards them. Del and Murphy bolted towards a narrow pathway nearby, darting behind a large steel box. The two Patrol men ran past, the chubby one huffing and panting.

"I don't see 'em," The chicken shouted from the far end of the alley.

"I guess they got away…I think." The dog replied, a stupefied look on his face.

"Are you ever sure of anything, you dummy?" The chicken asked, coming towards the dog.

"Uhh…I dunno…I think..maybe." The dog clearly had no idea what he was doing.

"OH come on already, we have to look somewhere else! We can't let them get away!" The chicken shoved the dog forward, breaking into a run again. The two fugitives breathed a sigh of relief, narrowly avoiding an encounter with the Patrol.


End file.
